Tag Archives: Iraq

Blackwater Is Staying in Iraq, Against Iraqi Wishes

Blackwater Chief Executive Officer Erik Prince defends his company’s performance in Iraq before the House oversight committee in 2007. Photo: Associated Press.New Deal for BlackwaterBy Jim McElhatton / March 17, 2009 Days after the Baghdad government decided it no longer … Continue reading

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Cheney’s Version of Iraq Accomplishment Tainted

Cheney’s Mission AccomplishedBy Juan Cole / March 17, 2009 Dick Cheney: “I guess my general sense of where we are with respect to Iraq and at the end of now, what, nearly six years, is that we’ve accomplished nearly everything … Continue reading

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US Iraqi Refugee Program: Not Exactly Successful

Tarek Darwish kisses his wife Nahida Mahmoud goodbye outside the family’s apartment. For for Iraqi attorney Tarek Darwish, his wife Nahida Mahmoud and their 5 children, the hope of obtaining the “American Dream” was quickly fleeting in the five months … Continue reading

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Iraqi Medicine: Bad and Getting Worse

Here is an example of that wonder of American generosity: “bringing democracy to the Middle East.” If only George could’ve left well enough alone. And his successor is proving to be equally incompetent. Richard Jehn / The Rag Blog Dr. … Continue reading

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Progress in Iraq: 65 % Unemployment

Layla Anwar’s piece reminds of the tragic toll of the American folly in Iraq over two decades. Millions have been affected and we go on blithely ignoring the mass of this tragedy. Think about 65% unemployment rate; think about half … Continue reading

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The Missing Billions from Iraq Reconstruction: A Story That Won’t Go Away

The missing billions – the story that no one ever really cared to follow to its conclusion. Why? I could probably make a pretty fair case that it’s a function of racism – most of the money wasn’t American taxpayer … Continue reading

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Iraq Elections May Change the Political Landscape

ON ALERT: An Iraqi soldier checks security at a polling station in the southern city of Basra. Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images.Iraq elections: Security tight for provincial voteBy Tina Susman / January 31, 2009 There is a curfew on cars in … Continue reading

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Dahr Jamail on Iraq : The Story Beneath the Story

A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, which the US military now uses for most of its patrols in Iraq’s Sadr City. Photo by Dahr Jamail / truthout. ‘The political divides across the country run deep, and this thin, fresh, external … Continue reading

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New Reports : Did KBR Poison GIs in Iraq?

Welder testing for hexavalent chromium. Photo by Orbital Joe.In 2003, James Gentry and his men were responsible for guarding a KBR-run power plant. The soldiers were stationed there for months before being informed that the site was contaminated with a … Continue reading

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Poor Junior: The Free Markets Say Shoe-Throwing Is the Next Olympic Sport

The shoe maker said the black polyurethane-soled shoes have been renamed Bush Shoes.Maker of Bush-attack shoes swamped by ordersDecember 22, 2008 Received orders for 370,000 pairs ISTANBUL – The alleged maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at … Continue reading

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Does the Pentagon Intend to Betray the Iraq SOFA?

U.S. Army soldiers search an abandoned house for weapons and illegal materials during a patrol in Haidraq, Iraq, April 6, 2008. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army, by Spc. C.W. Gill.U.S. Military Defiant on Key Terms of Iraqi PactBy Gareth Porter … Continue reading

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Do The Shoes Impact Daily Life in Baghdad?

Tamuz Bridge, Baghdad, leading to July 14 Monument.Did the shoe cause rebellion at Baghdad’s July 14 Bridge?By Mohammed al Dulaimy / December 17, 2008 BAGHDAD — The square in front of the July 14 Bridge in Baghdad is closed by … Continue reading

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